Amazon: Arlington Co. Board Unanimously Votes To Approve $23Mill HQ2 Incentive Package

[appalachiablue]

Sat., March 17, '19, Amazon in Arl., Co. Board unanimously approves $23M incentive package for HQ2, WUSA9. -Snips-

After several hours of testimony and discussion, that was often interrupted by protesters and chanting, the Arlington County Board voted unanimously to approve a $23 million incentive package for Amazon’s second headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia. The Amazon portion of the meeting, which lasted more than six hours, was heated at times, especially toward the end of the meeting. One man would not leave the podium, was swearing and yelling at the board members that they should be ashamed of themselves.

While more than 100 people spoke at Saturday's public hearing, many gathered before the meeting started at 1 p.m. for a rally outside the Arlington County Government Center. While the rally was organized by a local coalition against Amazon's new headquarters, many supporters of HQ2 stood nearby with signs.

Virginia lawmakers have already passed a law--and Governor Ralph Northam has signed it-- to give Amazon up to $750 million dollars in state incentives over the next 15 years if it creates up to nearly 38,000 jobs and 6 million square feet of office space. However, not everyone in the Northern Virginia community is happy to see Amazon setting up shop. A coalition has since formed called “For Us, Not Amazon” has expressed concern about the new headquarters.

(RELATED: Amazon rep: "Nothing will change for Northern Virginia" headquarters now that New York is off the table.)

At Saturday's rally, "For Us, Not Amazon" said it fears the working class and people of color will be forced out of their community because of a higher cost of living due to Amazon. "We don’t have a jobs problem, we have an affordability problem here," said Opal Boyer, one of the rally organizers...https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/amazon-in-arlington-county-board-unanimously-votes-to-approve-dollar23m-incentive-package-for-hq2/ar-BBURfK0

UPI News, https://www.upi.com/Virginias-Arlington-County-approves-23M-Amazon-HQ2-deal/7141552842739/



One of the proposed office locations for Amazon in Crystal City, Va.

[comradebillyboy]

1. Of course they approved the incentive package. Chasing jobs away

is bad politics. Also did I really see people complaining that Amazon paying high salaries was a bad thing? Sometimes 'progressives' are their own worst enemies.

[appalachiablue]

2. The concerns of the demonstrators should be heard and have some

justification. NoVa- DC is already harshly overexpensive and congested with traffic, and will experience even more of this with gentrification, displacement of residents, homelessness and other ills-- just like Seattle, Portland, San Fran and LA.

Why didn't Amazon choose cities it solicited and that applied- like Columbus, Ohio, Birmingham, Ala. and Baltimore, Md., or OK, KY, WV and so many other places in the middle of the country that need the jobs far more than affluent, coastal DC and NYC? The time is coming for an end to extreme predatory behavior, hefty and unneeded tax breaks for immensely wealthy corporations, senseless and reckless growth, and anti labor abuses.

>UPI Excerpt: "Opponents expressed concern that the presence of the headquarters will lead to an increase in housing prices that will force some residents out of the area. Others cited what they said was Amazon's anti-union history and its partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "This vote today is about racial justice," Danny Cendejas, a member of the La ColectiVA advocacy group, said. "We have been talking to folks in communities of color, immigrant communities. We have been hearing consistently the concerns about gentrification."

[comradebillyboy]

3. I wonder why major corporations aren't moving headquarters to

West Virginia, rural Ohio or places in the middle of the country. Maybe because the talent and infrastructure they need isn't in those places. And I doubt very much that the folks Amazon wants to hire would want to move to WVa or anywhere else in rural America.

[appalachiablue]

4. Not only rural America- as stated, Columbus, Balto., Birmingham,

and many, many other cities applied as noted below-- 238 PLACES applied, Top 20 Finalists:

It's hard to believe that none of these places, except DC, NY, would be suitable. If so the US is in worse shape than realized.

Potential employees will get by if they want the job, and if not, adios. Once a major corporation decides to move into an area the infrastructure, amenities, schools, neighborhoods and attractions will build up, as anyone experienced in real estate and planning knows, including Seattle friends who've sold homes and property through their company's offices there since the 1960s and into the Tech Boom/Microsoft years of enormous expansion.

> 238 Places That Bid For Amazon's Next HQ
https://qz.com/1119945/a-nearly-complete-list-of-the-238-places-that-bid-for-amazons-next-headquarters/

- (wiki) Amazon HQ2, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_HQ2

As of October 23, 2017, 238 proposals had been submitted and received by Amazon, representing cities and regions from 54 states, provinces, districts, and territories.

> Top 20 Finalists (of 238 places that bid):

Atlanta, Georgia (including Stonecrest)
Austin, Texas
Boston, Massachusetts (Suffolk Downs-East Boston and Somerville)
Chicago, Illinois (City Center Campus, Downtown Gateway District, River District, Lincoln Yards, The 78, Burnham Lakefront, Fulton Market District, Illinois Medical District, Schaumburg, Oak Brook)
Columbus, Ohio (Franklinton, Ohio State University, Easton)
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Indianapolis, Indiana
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Montgomery County, Maryland
Nashville, Tennessee
Newark, New Jersey
New York City, New York (West Midtown Manhattan, Financial District, Brooklyn Tech Triangle, Long Island City)
Northern Virginia (Fairfax and Loudoun counties, including Arlington and Alexandria, in Virginia)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Schuylkill Yards, uCity Square, Navy Yard)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Raleigh, North Carolina
Toronto, Ontario (including Mississauga, Brampton, York Region, Durham Region, Halton Region, Waterloo Region, Guelph and Hamilton)
Washington, D.C. (Anacostia Riverfront, Capitol Hill East, NoMa-Union Station, Shaw-Howard University)



- Bezos needs to complete renovation of the two, DC- Kalorama neighborhood townhouses (c. 1900) he purchased. Finish installing those 25 new bathrooms for the man who's full of it.
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/news/a9234/jeff-bezos-house-washington-dc/